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Natural Selection

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4 views

Natural Selection

Uploaded by

websterkamaria9
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Natural Selection, Genetic Drift, Gene Flow

1. Sexual Recombination of DNA:


a. Happens during crossing over and fertilization
b. Produces variations that make adaptation possible
c. Sexual reproduction results in unique combinations of genes every generation
2. Shifts in allele frequencies:
a. Most evolutionary change the result of
i. Natural Selection
ii. Genetic Drift
iii. Gene Flow
3. Natural Selection:
a. Results in the differential success of organisms in being able to reproduce and
pass on their genes to the next generation

4. Genetic Drift:
a. Fluctuations in allele frequencies in a small population from one generation to the
next
b. The smaller the size of the population, the more likely there is to be a major shift
in allele frequencies.

*a shift in gene pool

5. Genetic Drift cont.:


a. Evolution by drift is aimless, not adaptive, because it is chance alone
b. Drift is common in two population events: genetic bottleneck and founder
effect
6. Bottleneck Effect:
a. When a population undergoes a drastic reduction in size because of chance events
(fire, flood, drought).
b. Unrelated to phenotype

c. Lack of variation means less adaptability


d. Some alleles may be overrepresented, some underrepresented, and some not
represented at all.
e. Humans sometimes cause bottlenecks in other species
7. Founder Effect:
a. A small group of individuals becomes separated from the larger population.
They may establish a new population with a gene pool that is not representative of
the larger population. Helps account for the high frequency of certain
disorders in isolated populations.

8. Gene Flow:
a. Movement of genes between populations. Gain or loss of alleles from a
population due to migration of fertile individuals, or from the transfer of gametes.
b. Tends to reduce differences between populations.
c. Increases the variability of the gene pool by adding new alleles.
*Migration

9. Geographic Variation:
a. Most species have geographic variations in their gene pools between different
populations
b. Due to environmental differences

10. Survival of the Fittest:


a. Fitness: the contribution an individual makes to the gene pool of the next
generation for advantageous adaptations.
b. Relative fitness: the contribution of the genotype to the next generation. It is
dependent upon the genetic and environmental context in which it was
expressed.
11. Modes of Selection:
a. Directional:
i. Most common during times of change or migration
ii. Favors one end of the phenotype range.
*Directional Selection

b. Disruptive:
i. Occurs when conditions favor the two extremes in the phenotype range
ii. Result in speciation

*Disruptive Selection

c. Stabilizing:
i. Favors the average phenotype
ii. Reduces variation in a population

*Stabilizing Selection

d. Frequency Dependent:
i. The fitness of any one morph declines if that morph becomes too common
in the population
ii. Common in predator-prey relationships

*Frequency Dependent

e. Sexual Selection:
i. Natural Selection for mating success

*Sexual Selection

12. Natural Selection cannot create perfect organisms:


a. New phenotypes are the result of many small changes to previous phenotypes
b. As the environment changes previous phenotypes may not be favorable anymore
c. Selection can only act on variations that already exist in the gene pool

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